Marisa Field

It All Started With A Dream…

 

Back when ICQ was a thing (you can Google that), my profile bio read simply: “Pro Vballer.” I didn’t know what that meant at the time, but at 12-years-old it seemed like a good gig. Little did I know, and certainly to no one else’s belief, it would become my future reality.

 

My journey in sport started at age 3, performing on stage in front of audiences during dance recitals. I continued dancing (jazz & ballet) for another 13 years and got involved with the basketball and volleyball teams in middle school. By grade 8, I was in it “alone,” without my group of friends - who had decided they weren’t into after-school practices. It didn’t seem that fun anymore, but my parents and older brother encouraged me to continue with sports in addition to my weekly dance classes. I continued with all three sports until grade 11, first releasing basketball from my roster and then dance the following year. It was a tough decision to ultimately choose between dance, which I had done my whole life, and volleyball, which had more potential for the future. College and university team recruiters in Canada and the U.S. were starting to notice me. So I focused my efforts on volleyball and school.

 

I started playing Club and made Team BC for the first time when I was 15, even though I was what the coaches called “raw.” Despite my raw-talent (aka lack of technical skills), I made it and gave my very first interview for the local news - declaring that one day I wanted to wear the maple leaf across my back. I still didn’t actually know what that meant, how I was going to get there, or what it would take to play for Team Canada. I didn’t have a volleyball idol I was trying to be like or a role model I was looking up to. I had no idea what I was doing, or getting myself into. But I was going for it. 

 

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Looking back, I realize it would have been nice to have a mentor - someone who had been where I wanted to go and could have given me some clue about what a professional volleyball career could look like. Maybe even advise me that when the University of Oregon says they want to convert you from a Middle Blocker into an Opposite… you should say YES!! ;)

 

I’m now extending my expertise and experience (after a life-long career as a middle blocker) to offer health, fitness, and mentoring services to youth female athletes & teams. If you’d like to get in touch with me, email fitnesspieces@hotmail.com. You can also find me on Instagram @pieces333.

 

For more on my athletic journey from “ICQ Pro Vballer” to “+13-year Professional & National Team Athlete” you can check out the Started With A Dream Podcast series I did with Jacolby Gilliam: